Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to thermally insulated enclosures, and more particularly to systems for mounting thermally insulated enclosures.
Description of the Background Art
There has long been a high demand for portable insulated containers such as, for example, coolers, food and beverage containers, water coolers, lunch boxes, etc. Such containers are frequently transported in highly dynamic and, therefore, unstable environments such as, for example, on off-road vehicles, boats, construction trailers, heavy construction equipment, etc. When transporting containers in such environments, it is almost always necessary that they be secured down in order to prevent any problems associated with tipping and/or sliding. Doing so typically entails securing the enclosure to a stable structure via some suitable fastener (e.g., elastic cord, rope, strap, etc).
Although tipping and sliding problems can be prevented by fastening the enclosure to a stable structure via mechanical fasteners, there are disadvantages to doing so. For example, the enclosure can only be secured in locations where there are available structures (e.g., eye bolt) for the mechanical fasteners to engage. Another disadvantage to the current solution is the inconvenience associated with having to make sure the enclosure is accompanied by the fastener. Not only is it inconvenient to always keep a fastener on hand, but it is also inconvenient to have to remember to secure the enclosure. For example, forgetting to secure lunchboxes down on work trailers is a very common problem that often results in it falling off while the trailer is moving. As another example, the current solutions also impose challenges on heavy equipment operators because they typically have to remain on the equipment for long periods of time and, therefore, have to keep their coolers nearby. This is problematic in that there are typically not very many convenient structures to which an enclosure can be mounted via fasteners.
In efforts to alleviate the aforementioned problems, manufacturers have incorporated various types of slip preventative features into the design of many insulated enclosures. For example, friction promoting features (e.g., rubber, treads, etc) are often formed on the bottom surfaces of insulated containers.
Although friction promoting features can increase the amount of friction between the bottom surface of the container and the underlying surface, it is typically insignificant in such unstable environments.
What is needed, therefore, is an insulated enclosure that can be secured to a structure without additional fasteners. What is also needed is an insulated enclosure that can be secured to structures where no fastener structures are available. What is also needed is an insulated enclosure that is simpler to secure onto structures.